Honda NZ tight-lipped on all-new Jazz

Friday, 1 November 2019

Honda launched the all-new Fit (sold here in New Zealand as the Jazz) at the 2019 Tokyo motor show.

Whether the just-revealed next-gen Jazz will feature on Honda's New Zealand play list remains an imponderable.

The brand's local distributor has declined to discuss anything about the completely redesigned 2020 model, just unveiled at the Tokyo motor show and set to go on sale in Japan quite soon, as a Fit, with Jazz-badged exports expected to follow promptly.

When asked for comment about when it might come and for broader thoughts about the fourth-generation car, Honda New Zealand's marketing manager, Matt Woodburn, said he had nothing. 'Unfortunately, it's a standard situation, I cannot give any comment at this stage. It's too early to provide any details regarding the model at the motor show.'

The new Jazz comes in five different forms, including the new 'pretend SUV' Crosstar guise.

The new model is interesting for all sorts of reasons beyond its five distinct guises, each tailored to suit various owner lifestyles. The entry car is the Basic, there's a Home for around-towners, a more vibrant Ness (as in Fit Ness), a fake SUV version called Crosstar and a leather-trimmed Luxe flagship.

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The new car also gets a new powertrain - Honda's e-HEV dual motor hybrid system.

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The 'Home' is the urban-dwelling model, while the 'Basic' is exactly what is printed on the box.

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Safety-wise, it takes the latest Honda Sensing crash avoidance system that includes a wide-view camera and eight sonar sensors mounted in the front and back of the vehicle. Improved ride, better performance, advanced connectivity and more storage are also claimed. And, of course, they've delivered a new styling atop a fresh platform.

An equally new and classily minimalist interior is a part of the new car's package.

The most relevant technical advance is that it also becomes the first compact Honda to provide with a two-motor hybrid drivetrain.

Will this e-HEV powertrain become the sole choice for Jazz from now on, or will it provision as an alternate to the orthodox petrol engines that have historically provisioned with this supermini?

There's no actual off-road ability, but the Crosstar looks the part.

Overseas' media are split on this. Woodburn, of course, hasn't shed any light.

It's actually relevant to ask if Jazz still fits here. Outwardly, it carries such a long sales history here the showroom would seem bereft without it.

Yet much has changed since Honda NZ first played this tune in 2002 and soon found itself with a giant hit. The small car sector has diminished considerably and so has Honda's overall position; car and make are simply far more niche.

So worth keeping? Having also seen Jazz become a minority choice, Honda Australia is talking about foregoing the next, though it might continue to forge with the current version, which it can source at favourable price from Thailand thanks to a special trade agreement.

But Honda NZ has other factors to consider. Most obviously, there's the distinct possibility of the car arriving nonetheless, as a used import. Plus, of course, its status might lift because of the hybrid drive. Kiwis do seem to increasingly love a good battery story.

When Jazz does arrive, the redesigned shape should be easily spotted. Honda has stayed true to urban friendly basics, with a one-box shape that favours interior space and maintains similar dimensions to the current offer. The A-pillars have been slimmed down, it most obviously has larger headlamp units and chunkier bumpers and the present model's vertically stacked lights have been ditched in favour of more conventional horizontal units beneath the rear window.

Crosstar differentiates further with roof rails, a different front grille design, elevated ride height and black plastic cladding around the wheel arches. The interior features 'water-resistant upholstery'. As if, right?

A digital instrument cluster ahead of the driver and a large touchscreen in the centre are new features. The latter has smartphone-style swipe controls and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. For the first time, these and other downloadable apps will be operable in the car via a wireless connection. The evergreen Magic Seat design remains.

So what about that new powertrain? At present the NZ range of four editions sees three with a 1.5-litre mill and the entry S car with a 1.3. It seems possible those engines will continue. But not everywhere. Stated aim to offer a completely electrified model range in Europe by 2022 means the car will solely go there in e-HEV format.

However, it goes locally, this is tech we're going to be hearing a lot more about in the future. Though Honda has already issued a hybrid CR-V, Jazz is the first Honda to use this level of e-HEV and the first model to get the new e:Technology branding that will eventually feature on all the firm's electrified products.

Honda has yet to fully reveal e-HEV, but it's expected the Jazz system will employ something like the 'intelligent Multi-Mode Drive' (i-MMD) set-up used by the CR-V. In typical driving situations, rather than driving the wheels directly, the engine acts a generator, sending charge to an electric motor, which tops up a small battery. When more performance is needed, the engine can drive the wheels directly via a fixed-ratio gearbox.